Word Problems - College Algebra

Question

1. A person’s body mass index (BMI) b varies directly to a person’s weight in pounds and inversely with the square person’s height h in inches. If a 6 foot tall person’s BMI is 32 and their weight is 236 pounds, write an equation describing the relationship of the given variables. NOTE: Keep k as an exact fractional value not a decimal approximation.

Answer 1

The wording "varies directly" implies a linear relationship for the weight. The inverse square would represent 1/h².

So, b = weight/h².

I am assuming that k is a constant value which the above equation is multiplied by to make the given values true.

32=k*236/(6*12)²

Solving for k gives us a fractional value of 165888/236.

Hope this helps!